Clinical psychologists aim to reduce the distress and improve the psychological well-being of clients. They use the psychological methods and research to make positive changes to their clients’ lives and will offer various forms of treatment.
Clinical psychologists often work along side other professionals in multi-disciplinary teams in order to tackle complex patient problems.
Clinical psychologists work with clients of all ages on a variety of different mental or physical health problems including:
Clinical psychologists tend to work with one particular client group, such as children or people with learning disabilities. They also often work in a particular setting like a hospital or through social services.
Typical work activities can include:
More experienced clinical psychologists are often called on to write legal reports and act as expert witnesses. Keeping detailed paperwork about clients in order to monitor the progress of the clients treatments.
In order to become a qualified clinical psychologist you will need to hold a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited psychology degree with a degree classification of 2:1 or above (some courses will accept a 2:2 and a Masters degree).
If your course is not accredited, or your degree is not in psychology, you can obtain Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) in other ways: by sitting the British Psychological Society's qualifying examination; via an appropriate society-accredited postgraduate qualification; or by taking an appropriate society-accredited conversion course.
Entry with just a Higher National Diploma (HND) is not possible.
A further three years of postgraduate study leading to a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology is also needed which then leads to you being eligible for chartered status.
A minimum of six to 12 months of relevant clinical work experience is essential in order to secure a training place. Some course providers lay down specific requirements or give advice on how to go about gaining the necessary experience (successful applicants typically have two years of work experience).
Relevant experience can include work as assistant psychologists in NHS clinical psychology departments, sometimes on a voluntary basis. Work in other areas, however, is also relevant, e.g. in nursing, social work or services for individuals with disabilities. Research experience, as a research assistant, in a branch of psychology is also relevant, particularly if the research is clinically orientated. It is helpful to have a good balance of experience in both academic and clinical areas. It is also ideal get work experience working under the supervision of qualified clinical psychologist within the NHS.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
As posts often involve local travel, a current driving licence and car is a definite asset.
Applications for most of the three-year Doctorate in clinical psychology courses are made through the Clearing House for Postgrad Courses in Clinical Psychology (http://www.leeds.ac.uk/chpccp) . The closing date for courses is early December however it is recommended you apply before mid-November. Competition for entry is stiff, with just one in four applicants currently gaining a place, it is common for people to apply several times. It is not usually possible to fund yourself, or use funding from sponsorship or scholarships in order to gain access onto the course as the NHS provides enough funding for all the places available. The clearing house handbook includes details of the sources of funding for each course and information about each course's entry requirements.
Entry on to accredited postgraduate training courses is quite competitive. A lot of the successful applicants for the doctorate course have a postgraduate qualification such as a Masters and at least two years of relevant experience.
It is suggested that gaining relevant experience will expand your chances of getting on the course. On average it takes around three years after graduating to get onto the Doctorate course and the average age of applicants is 26 years old, however it is illegal to discriminate against applicants on grounds of age and there are some courses who favour undergraduates.
For more information, see work experience (www.prospects.ac.uk/workexperience) and find courses and research (www.prospects.ac.uk/pg).
The majority of those accepted on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology course are employed as trainee clinical psychologists through the National Health Service (NHS) (see NHS Careers (http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk) ).
Training in your first post will be mainly on the job and will include a range of short courses.
Further study is encouraged and once you have qualified there are opportunities to move into different specialisms, such as clinical neuropsychology on completion of the Division of Neuropsychology Membership Qualification or forensic psychology on completion of the Diploma in Forensic Psychology.
Upon qualification, and as soon as their services are offered to the public, chartered clinical psychologists are obliged by the British Psychological Society (BPS) (http://www.bps.org.uk) to take part in continuing professional development (CPD) in order to maintain occupational competence in their specialist area.
In addition to general CPD, clinical psychologists may also be required by the relevant division of their society to undertake a further training each year in their specialist area,
Employment prospects for qualified clinical psychologists are generally good, although the situation varies according to geographical region, the overall number of jobs available in each specialist area, and the popularity of particular fields.
For all specialist areas, there is a relatively short promotion ladder, both in and outside the NHS. Even though the training is the same, differences in the organisational structures of the health authorities in Northern Ireland and Scotland may lead to different career progression routes and opportunities for specialisation.
Some clinical psychologists go on to work as trainers, teachers or researchers in universities. Opportunities to work abroad are limited. Further training is usually required to practise in another European country and requirements also vary from state to state in the USA and Australia.
Clinical psychologists are currently in demand and will continue to be required by the National Health Service (NHS) (see NHS Careers (http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk) ).
There are currently over 4,000 clinical psychologists working in the UK in a wide range of health and social care settings, including:
Most clinical psychology services are organised within NHS trusts, or partnerships between NHS trusts and local authorities, called care trusts. Some trusts provide services to other trusts through service level agreements and almost all have a professional advisory mechanism for guiding decisions about the provision of psychology services.
Clinical psychologists may also be employed by schools and universities. Others work in the private sector or are self-employed.
Search graduate jobs (www.prospects.ac.uk/links/jobvacs).
Recruitment agencies rarely handle vacancies.
See also job hunting tips (www.prospects.ac.uk/links/jobhunt) and applications, CVs and interviews (www.prospects.ac.uk/links/appsinterviews).
The following Case studies are also available on prospects.ac.uk:
© Content copyright of or licensed to AGCAS (www.agcas.org.uk)
Written by Hannah Paterson, University of Manchester, September 2009.
The work of writers, editors and other contributors is gratefully acknowledged - full details on www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations. To view the terms and conditions for the material provided in this publication, please see www.prospects.ac.uk/links/disclaimer